Workshops Archive

Drawing open over four decades of professional music performance, recording and teaching experience, Richard openly shares his concepts and experiences to expand a musician’s creative and technical horizons, inspire them to reach for new levels of expression and share the fruits of their efforts with musical peers and audiences.

Featured are video are audio capture of workshops and lectures on a variety of musical topics:

MUSICIANSHIP FOUNDATIONSEar training, transcribing, theory
CREATIVE SKILL SETS:  Improvisation, composition, arranging, leading original music ensembles
• PERFORMANCE and ANALYSIS:  Jazz, Brazilian, Classical (chamber/choral) and crossover idioms; standout composers

As appropriate, archived workshops are accompanied by:
attachments of scores, notated and audio illustrations and exercises; relevant links, bibliography and discography.

Viewable Workshops

BRAZILIAN GUITAR PANORAMA SOLO PIONEERS:
Canhoto, João Pernambuco, Dilermando Reis, Garôto

HERMETO PASCOAL
Visionary of Contemporary Brazilian Music


Video of Lecture given at
Lamont School of Music, Denver University, Colorado


Divided into fourteen segments of 15-20 minutes each, this comprehensive presentation includes commentary and analysis of Pascoal's musical style and development, ensemble rehearsal techniques, authoritative scores and full-group transcriptions from original recordings.

New York Jazz Workshop: Dynamic Ear Training and Notational Fluency

As of fall 2015, Richard Boukas joined the faculty of NEW YORK JAZZ WORKSHOP (NYJW), a school which primarily serves adults who seek to further their music education in a stimulating, creative environment. Richard has extensive experience and affinity for teaching adults, having been a Jazz faculty member of Mannes College's  Extension Division between 1989-95. His courses are geared to all instrumentalists and vocalists, composers,ensemble players

Co-founded by acclaimed saxophonist Marc Mommaas and Marco Chelo several years ago, Richard was invited to teach three ten-week trimesters focusing on Ear Training and Transcription / Dictation.

For any information on courses and private lessons, visit their site.

For descriptions of courses taught by Richard Boukas:

• Dynamic Ear Training for the Contemporary Musician, Level One
• Notational Fluency for Transcription and Dictation

• Richard Boukas Bio and Teaching Philosophy 

Watch VIDEOS discussing his three-level course:
DYNAMIC EAR TRAINING FOR THE CONTEMPORARY MUSICIAN
EAR TRAINING FOR GUITARISTS
DYNAMIC INTEGRATION OF EAR-VOICE-GUITAR


Presented at New School Jazz and Contemporary Music (where Richard has been core faculty since 1995), this special workshop is a must for guitarists, other instrumentalists and vocalists. Handouts in PDF format used at the workshop are downloadable.

The initial half-hour excerpt is viewable below. It was informally captured and unedited, which explains the lower resolution.

See the LINKS below for free access to HANDOUTS used at the presentation.

The main objectives:

• to dramatically broaden one's ear and voice connection to the guitar
• to prepare the musician to respond creatively in playing situations where perceptions and reactions must be made in fractions of a second
• to unite your creative/intuitive core with the guitar
 
Primary Goals

• to master musical elements in the EAR by integrating VOICE and GUITAR in a dynamic environment
• to leverage all guitar fingerboard knowledge, theory and practice routines to improve ear and voice
• to restore balance of skill levels among EAR, VOICE and GUITAR (EVG) for optimal musical growth
• to establish efficient and comprehensive EVG practicing routines (solo, duo)
 
There are two main handouts which accompanied the workshop, and they are free PDF downloads:

WORKSHOP OUTLINE

PRACTICE ROUTINE ILLUSTRATIONS


The following areas are covered, with corresponding begin timings:

• EAR-VOICE-GUITAR CONNECTION
• INTERVALS (4:13)
• MODES  (12:06)
• TRIADS  (17:58)
• SINGING VOICINGS INTO GUITAR SOUNDHOLE   (20:20)
• SEVENTHS    (23:31)